Conversations in the Dark
by laureninthesky96
Summary: Ben Solo and Rey struggle with their budding feelings for each other as mysterious forces connect their minds across the galaxy.
1. No Longer Alone?

Rey awoke with a start, hair prickling at the back of her neck. Her eyes could see nothing in the total darkness of the small hut, but in her mind she could see, clear as if he were right in front of her, Ben Solo lying in his bunk. She blinked several times to try to dispel the vision, as she always did, but his large, dark eyes still stared back at her from across light years.

A salty gust of wind blew past, whistling through the stones of the small hut. She pulled her thin blanket closer to her body, willing herself not to shiver. Hate burned in her stomach as it always did in these moments, but tonight it was dampened by sleep. She was fully exhausted and lacked the energy to rail against him. Today had been particularly brutal. She closed her eyes, but could still feel his gaze on her.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice low. The huts were made of stone, but there were many gaps and holes in the walls. She didn't wish to be overheard by the caretakers, or Luke.

"I want nothing. You know neither of us can control this. I am only waiting for it to end, same as you."

"That's not what I meant. You're staring at me. You could just close your eyes and go back to sleep, but you want something from me." Ben remained still, eyes shining. "Why do you stare?" She felt agitation rising in her. She was fully awake now, and knew she would have difficulty getting back to sleep.

"Because I want to." he said simply, a hint of a shrug in his voice. Her body filled with revulsion and confusion. She opened her mouth for a violent reply. Then, as quickly as it had come, the connection severed. She was left feeling restless and angry. Memories of Han Solo, the man who should have been (could have been?) her father, lurked behind the red haze of anger. She rose and left the hut to stand on a cliff edge. She felt easier staring at the sea, and she watched the sun rise before she hiked up to Luke's hut to begin a new day.

"Don't you know what it was like for me?" he asked, not waiting for her to fully grasp at the connection between them. His voice was distorted at first, then evened out to normal, as if they were standing only a few feet away from each other. "So much power, more than my master, but constantly being chastised for small infractions, always under more scrutiny than any other student. I met every expectation and more, but it was never enough, never enough for Skywalker. I always felt that he was just waiting for me to turn, no matter what I did to try to quell the suspicion." He paced across a dark chamber, looking at his hands as he spoke. His words came deliberately, slowly, as if planned.

She listened to his monologue. She had gone from screaming at him every time they connected to meeting his gaze with icy silence. More often than not, he spoke through the whole connection, painting a picture of himself for her to see. He was so self-centered, but she was beginning to see there was more to him than just that. She felt the conflict in his soul. She could feel the longing in him to be good, to turn to the light, but he felt that it had pushed him away, forced his hand. The dark side had accepted him, nurtured him, allowed him to pursue his power without restraint.

During the days she followed Luke Skywalker around the island through the same daily routine over and over. Every day, she tried to make inroads with him, and every day he pushed her away. She was endlessly persistent. She never showed a single sign of weakness. She hiked the mountain in the driving rain, leaped from one peak to another, swam in the icy waters, and collected her own food. She would prove herself and make him take her on as a student. But as the days wore on, she began to see how exacting of a master Luke could be. She began to understand just how it must have felt, trying to live up to those ideals for a young boy with so much promise.

Late at night she told Ben the story of her sad existence on Jakku. The pure, mindbreaking loneliness that had defined her youth. The constant wondering about what had happened to her parents, where they were now. She had a million different theories, each developed to minute detail. She asked him, loudly, often, looking him right in the eye, how he could have killed his own father. How he could have chosen to throw away something that she would have killed for. He never answered, just stared back at her with his big eyes. Sometimes, she could almost see them welling up before the connection between them was cut.

She never allowed herself to think the thoughts that hid underneath everything else. Under all the logic and layers of protection and hardened, street-smart barriers, there had once been a flicker of a hope that maybe, just maybe, Han would think of her as his daughter. It was now well and truly extinguished, and she was staving off the pain of the loss by closing down, ignoring it completely. Life on Ahch-To gave her too much time alone with her thoughts, but this one was too painful to touch and so she held it back, containing it as best as she could.

She took to bathing in her clothes. When first arriving on Ahch-To, she had luxuriated in swimming in the bracing water of a small cove, spending the long hours when Luke stayed in his hut out in the waves. Water had been such a rarity on Jakku. Being surrounded by an entire ocean all the time was such a novelty to her. She had simply abandoned her clothes on the shore and let the salty wind dry her when she finished. However, they had once connected as she lay on the shore drying off from swimming. She pulled her knees to her chest trying to cover herself when she realized that he had closed his eyes. She knew he would still be able to see her in his mind, as she could when her eyes were closed, but the gesture stuck with her. Now she swam in her underthings at the least, and covered herself immediately when she left the water. She refused to be caught unaware again.

Ben had no shame about his body. Rey found him half-dressed so often that she wondered if he stayed that way on purpose to display himself to her. She could not help but notice him. Her whole life had been spent alone, hardly ever seeing other humans, never seeing anyone she considered at all attractive until Finn appeared. Now the only other human she had any contact with was an old man that pointedly ignored her, and Finn was well out of her reach.

Her body ached for intimacy. Sometimes, late at night, in the grip of her loneliness, images of Ben's body came to her. She imagined his broad, strong shoulders. Imagined him holding her in his arms, protecting her. But from what? He was one of her biggest threats. She imagined taming him, holding him close, stroking his hair as she took him inside of her. When her mind cleared after these moments of weakness, she always lay there in shame, holding herself. She could not let him invade her mind.


	2. Cultivating the Silence

Kylo Ren was on edge. Every waking moment was filled with uncertainty. When would she appear to him next? Would he be able to handle the sight of her? In his mind, she was constantly glaring at him, her intense eyes narrowed. Though she no longer screamed at him when they bonded, the accusations were still plain on her face. At first he leaned into it, played the part of the evil dark sider, fought right back and held his own against her. He wanted her to slip up and reveal her location, or something useful about the resistance fighters. Over time he became less and less responsive to her tirades. It was jarring suddenly be in the middle of a screaming fight with a near stranger, and his nerves were suffering for it.

His focus was shot. His confident, purposeful stride had developed into more of a wary creep. His eyes wandered in all directions, waiting to catch the first flicker of the next vision. The more they bonded, the more he wanted to explain, to make her understand. He wanted to be comforted by her. He began with serious talks. Late at night, he told her of his training, his struggles with all of the expectations placed on him from all directions. His parents, the royalty of the rebellion, had his life planned out for him before he could even walk. He envied Luke and Han for their childhoods spent in blissful anonymity, with no responsibilities or allegiances.

She listened, not saying a word. Sometimes he could see the hate in her eyes, burning just below the surface, but sometimes her eyes were calm. She was less fiery at night, more willing to hear him out. If he could only make her see how the resistance had thrown him away, maybe she would leave them. If she could see how he had been used and exiled, the only son of two heroes of the rebellion, perhaps she would see how precarious the whole hierarchy was. No one was safe.

"Ben." He woke immediately, startled by the use of his former name. She had never addressed him directly like this. Distant memories of a life abandoned played just under the surface of his mind, and for a second, his heart wavered. What would it have been like for him if all the darkness had never occurred? Would he have joined the resistance? Maybe he would have met Rey under more favorable conditions. Their first meeting would have been different. His heart ached, and he knew that it was pointless conjecture. The memory of Skywalker standing over him, lightsaber drawn, hardened him against any further wonderings. Still, her voice saying his name, his old name, caressed something in him that had been left untouched for many years.

Her face shined in the moonlight, and he aimlessly wondered where she was. This was not the first time the subject of her location had crossed his mind; entire meetings with Supreme Leader Snoke had centered on tracking her down and capturing her. Tonight, only curiosity motivated him. What little he had seen of the landscape seemed harsh, and he could sometimes catch glimpses of an ocean or rocky outcropping. It suited her, he thought. The rugged environment intertwined perfectly with her forceful demeanor. He knew the strength of her body from their battle on D'Qar. The memory of fighting her, being close enough to kill, to touch, filled him with heat. He should have been able to overtake her. He thought she would be easy to capture.

"Yes." he responded. Not as a question, just a statement. They stared at each other uneasily, neither moving. He always felt compelled to stand in these moments. The intimacy of staring into her eyes while they both lay in bed was too much for him, even though they were galaxies apart. Lately she had not seemed as bothered by it. Exhaustion hooded her eyes, but he indulged himself in the belief that she was warming up to him.

"Tell me about your parents." Pain. A shooting pain in his chest. He turned his face away, but the image shifted with his gaze and he could not escape her searching look. "I just want to know what it was like."

A different pain soaked into him as he realized why she would want to know. He could not bring himself to meet her eyes, but he could see that her face was open and expectant. Every sentence that ran through his mind felt so... insensitive. He felt ridiculous, catering to her feelings. She was his enemy. He would have killed her if he'd had the chance only a short while ago. He was softening. He could only hope that she was too. If she would only join him on the dark side, perhaps they could have more nights like this, spent in slow quiet conversation.

"Sometimes it was like they didn't even exist." Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "My father left when I was very young. Mother has always been busy with organizing and politics. But you've seen that." He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. He had never talked about his parents with anyone else, and every time it left him feeling bare and raw. He thought she would have a cutting remark here, but instead her face twisted in sympathy. He opened his mouth to tell her more, but at that moment, the force bond between them cut out. He was left lying alone in the dark.


	3. Talking to Yourself

For a moment, Ben lay sprawled on his bed, eyes searching the dark room for a flutter of her image. She was gone, gone, gone, and who knew what their next meeting might be like. Now that she was not always screaming at him, he was beginning to gather a more complete assessment of her personality. Despite their rocky start, he thought of her as a fundamentally calm, curious person. She wanted to know everything about him. Even when she yelled, it always took the form of a question. She was drawing him out, bit by bit. He wanted to tell her everything about himself, and she wanted to know every last detail.

The room behind his closed eyes filled with light, and he opened them to meet General Hux's face filling the wallscreen. Hux smirked at his state of undress-he wore only his black leggings to bed. He grabbed yesterday's shirt from the floor and pulled it on as Hux briefed him for the day.

As he carried out the day's tasks-drills with storm trooper units, training with the Supreme Leader-his mind wandered. Hux, who was too intimidated by him to rebuke him outright, glared at him throughout the drills and corrected his minor mistakes loudly. Ren would have normally been enraged, but now it rolled right off his back. He was utterly preoccupied. Soon Hux's smugness faded into confusion as he failed to provoke the usual response.

As he strode back to his quarters that night, he felt the now-familiar distortion that preceded a connection with Rey. He quickened his pace and slammed his door behind him before her image overtook him. The corners of the room blurred and shuddered, then came into focus. She lie on a secluded beach atop a white sheet in the sun, absolutely nude. Her tanned skin glistened in the sunlight, and her head was thrown back, eyes closed. She looked utterly serene. In the same moment, he inhaled sharply and her eyes jerked open. She screamed and pulled her knees to her chest, trying to shield herself from his unwelcome gaze. Without thinking, he closed his eyes and turned his face away, but the moving image still burned in his mind. She gathered the sheet around herself, pulling it tight over her body. He apologized breathlessly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" his knees were weak, and he could tell that his face was pink. He knew that explaining was futile. She knew just as well as he did that they had no control over this connection, but still he felt that he had crossed a line. He sank to the floor with his back against the wall and his knees to his chest, mirroring her posture, to hide his body's response to the sight of her. He put his face in his hands to try to hide the blush that felt like it was overtaking his whole body. The sheet was pulled close against her chest, and he could see the contour of her nipples through the thin fabric. He willed himself not to look at them.

Her face had the look of a trapped animal, and she still hadn't said a word. His mind was racing. He wondered if the force was fucking with him on purpose. Minutes passed and he kept his eyes averted. He was unsure of what to say. When the connection finally ended, he let his limbs relax on the hard floor. He tried to push the vision out of his mind and calm his racing pulse.

He took several deep breaths and struggled to process what had happened. This was the first time he had seen a woman fully nude. He had seen some of his fellow jedi students in very little clothing back when he was a boy, but this was something different. Thoughts of Rey had haunted him night and day for weeks, and now there was no chance of getting her out of his head. He rubbed his temples, eyes closed, trying to collect himself.

Though he tried not to think about it, the memory of her lean, muscular body burned itself into his brain. As he prepared for bed, still shaken up from the experience, he tried to fight it off. He lay in bed, tossing and turning. He was heavy with exhaustion, but still his thoughts buoyed him. He thought of her again and again, in that moment before she noticed him. The look on her face was one that he had never seen on her before: happiness.

Ben rolled onto his back and kicked off his leggings, unable to contain himself any longer. He imagined being with Rey. All old vendettas vanished from his mind and he finally gave in to the temptation of the fantasy. He imagined wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, pressing his body against hers. She would be strong, he knew, from years of hard work and self defense. He would be able to feel the strength in her as she held him. The memory of her nipples through the sheet came to him, and his body pulsed with longing. He stretched, arching his back and settling into the bed, then wrapped a large hand around the base of his cock. Pale guilt lingered in the back of his mind, but he ignored it pointedly as his breathing sped up.

He imagined lying next to her on the beach, leaning down to suck on her dark nipples, running his hands over the tanned curves of her skin. He would put his fingers in his mouth, then reach down to the triangle of hair between her legs and open her lips to find her wet and waiting. He would rub her clit with his thumb, while pushing into her depths with his fingers. He stroked his cock harder and faster as the scene took shape in his mind. He imagined lying on his back, Rey climbing on top of him and taking his length inside of her. She would moan with pleasure, as he moaned now, his hips trembling. He would hold her waist and pull her closer to him, push himself deeper inside of her with every thrust.

This fantasy had been there in the corners of his mind for a while. The thrill of finally indulging in it, coupled with the overwhelming feelings from seeing her perfect naked body spurred him on. He arched his back, flexing his thighs to increase the intensity. He held himself on the edge as long as he could take it, then imagined how it would feel to explode inside her. He came hard, shooting thick ropes of hot, sticky cum onto his bare chest. He panted, letting his body relax, and lay perfectly still for several minutes before rising to clean up the mess he had made.

Shame edged into his contentment as he wiped himself clean. He had no right to think of her this way. If she knew what he had done, she would surely return to screaming at him, or worse, ignore him completely. Hell, she might have already resolved to ignore him after their run in earlier today. He pulled his leggings back on and sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. His breath still came uneven. The dark chamber felt oppressive around him, and he wished he were on land instead of drifting in space. He needed to steady himself, needed to feel solid ground beneath his feet. Rey's rocky island came to mind. The ground there called to him, even though he had no idea where in the universe it could be.

He sat up and sighed, preparing to return to bed now that he would be able to sleep. Before he could lie down, the air in front of him distorted once again and her bright eyes met his. He froze. She began to giggle, and quickly broke into a full blown laugh. He could feel that he was blushing again, but he smiled a bit despite himself. He steeled himself, then spoke.

"I'm sorry for earlier. I hope you don't-" he said before she cut him off.

"Don't be sorry. It's my own fault. I'll have to be more careful next time." She had a playful look on her face. He leaned back on the bed and propped himself up with his arms, trying to draw attention to his broad chest. He couldn't tell for certain, but he suspected that she was flirting with him. He was so delighted that she was even speaking with him that it barely registered. Unsure of what to say, he smiled at her awkwardly.

"If you're wondering why I was naked, it's because I like to swim." She broke the awkward silence. "There was barely enough water on Jakku to hydrate my meals. I've never seen so much water in my life." He settled in and laid on his side, wrapping his arms around himself as he listened to her tales of life on Jakku. When the connection severed, he lay awake imagining a different life. A quiet life with Rey on some secluded planet.


	4. Vulnerable

Rey struggled to keep Ben out of her mind when they weren't connected. Her training with Luke kept her constantly busy, and she worried that she would let slip her frustration. The exercises he assigned to her felt futile in the face of the First Order and their massive fleet. The stress was beginning to build. Day after day, she pushed her body to the edge of its limits, then returned to her hut at night to stare at the ceiling.

The cloudy sky darkened as she descended back into the village after a particularly fruitless training session. Luke had instructed her to meditate, clear her mind and focus only on the horizon. He kept her there for hours, watching as she calmed her breathing. She tried to let go, but every moment that she spent sitting still and doing nothing felt like a betrayal of the resistance. It was a catch-22; she was unable to succeed in her training or aid the resistance with this inner conflict. More and more often, she wished that she had never come to Ahch-To. The return to loneliness was almost unbearable, and she clung to the moments spent talking with Ben.

She knew he needed to be handled gingerly. His heart was soft. She had seen his reaction to being pushed in the beginning of their acquaintance when they had screamed obscenities at each other, but later, in the quiet night, the apologies had come.

"Rey." He said to her in the darkness. She could just make out his face, his eyes downcast. "I'm not happy with the things that I said when we first met. You aren't the person that I thought you were." He stared at the floor, pausing for a moment. He looked unsure of himself. Rey held her breath. "I'm sorry for trying to hurt you. I wish that I had been more careful." He met her eyes again. His were brimming over with emotion, giving the impression that he was apologizing for more than just speaking harshly. She thought back to that first connection and remembered her own actions. She had tried to kill him before she realized that he was not actually present.

Should she apologize for how she had acted too? Examining her feelings, she discovered she didn't feel all that guilty. She had acted based on how he had portrayed himself to her, and he was a murderer. And yet now she wanted to comfort him. She wanted to wall him off from his own guilt and protect him from the pain.

"It's alright. I'm not upset about it. Things are different now." His face relaxed into a shy smile. Lately his whole bearing had changed. He sat up straighter and seemed happier, less self conscious. She felt the same. Having time to connect deeply with another person without having to rush into anything or be in physical danger felt so calming.

She had been forced to trust Finn without getting to know much about him first. She cared about him deeply, but she didn't know all that much about him or his life before they met. This relationship with Ben had been carefully forged, nurtured from a hatred to a tense dislike to a profound closeness, and there had been no one else around to talk to as it happened. He had her full attention, and she had his.

She missed Finn, but she tried not to think of him or any part of her life before Ahch-To. Remembering the death of Han and being isolated in her grief was unbearable to her. She could not dwell on the only part of her life when she had ever felt like a part of something, or had a friend, without the desolation that came with remembering. Eventually she would be back with Finn and General Organa and everyone that she had met in the resistance, but she didn't know when.

Leaving whenever she pleased wasn't an option either. Everyone had worked so hard to find the map to Luke's location. She knew that the only way she would get Luke off the island was to kidnap him, and if she returned untrained and empty-handed then all of the effort and the lives lost to retrieve the map would have been for nothing. She kept her head down and worked hard to keep Luke from writing her off, as he seemed inclined to do. He looked for every little reason he could find to reprimand her, to find fault, or to accuse her of being drawn to the dark side.

She felt secure in her convictions despite her contact with Ben, and Luke's accusations angered her. She was wholly committed to the resistance, and if anyone was a traitor to the cause it was Luke. He had left them and disappeared at their moment of need, a moment that he had personally been involved in. She began to close herself off from him, little by little. If she showed him less emotion, he would have less of a foothold to criticize her.

Ben was the only person that could possibly understand what she was going through, but to reveal to him that she was training with Luke was out of the question. Instead, she prompted him to tell her stories of his own training. He related the frustrations and triumphs of discovering his immense power, and the fear it inspired in Luke. The undercurrent of rage that he expressed when talking about Luke frightened her, but she did her best to ignore it. She could spot each parallel between their experiences, and just knowing that she wasn't alone was heartening.

She began to imagine a future with Ben in it. She could see the light in his heart as clearly as if it were shining out of his skin. She had lots of practice coming up with imaginary worlds from her life on Jakku. She built elaborate fantasy lives in her head. She imagined him turning to the light, making reparations to the republic and proving his loyalty by bravely taking out the Starkiller base, and returning home a troubled hero. She also imagined variations where she helped him sneak off of the ship, then took him to the resistance in disguise to use his knowledge of its inner workings to destroy it.

More than anything else, she imagined what it would be like after the First Order was defeated. She fantasized about living a normal life, as she often had as a child, but this time with Ben at her side. What would normal even look like for them? She imagined cooking dinner together. Real food, not the dehydrated gunk that she grew up on. He would chop veggies while she stirred a stew. They would eat together, smiling at each other across a table instead of across the galaxy. Then, her favorite part to imagine, they would go to bed together.

She often wondered if he thought of her in the same way. Surely seeing her naked had provoked his sexual interest in her. He had certainly reacted in the moment. She hadn't been around many other human women for comparison, but she thought of herself as attractive. She hoped that he stayed awake at night thinking of her as she thought of him.

Occasionally she wondered if he might already be involved with someone. He had never mentioned anyone else, but why would he? If he was trying to draw her in, seduce her to the dark side, it would be best not to mention another romance. She felt nervous about it and resolved to ask him, over and over, but each time it felt wrong. It was never the right moment. She hoped he would broach the topic first.

"Have you ever been in love?" he asked one night, a few minutes into their connection. Ben seemed on edge. His hands fidgeted with a loose seam on the leg of his pants. He lay bare chested on his bed, one arm propping up his head.

Rey immediately thought of Finn. Love? It was too strong a word to describe what she felt for him. They were friends. Before him, there was no one else. After him, only Ben. Her heart beat faster. She had grappled with the question lately. Was she in love with Ben? Maybe.

"I'm not sure." She responded. He shifted uncomfortably. Before he could say anything else, she passed it back. "Have you?"

"It's... something I've never experienced before." he said, choosing his words carefully. Before me? Or before ever? Rey wondered as he went on. "I've never been in a relationship with anyone." The fear in her quieted. She didn't have to worry about the possibility of someone else. "But what do you mean that you're not sure?"

Rey's face reddened. She briefly considered stalling until the connection ended, but then reconsidered and met his gaze. His jaw was clenched as if he was nervous, but his big, dark eyes had the look of hope. He wanted desperately to be loved by her. Her hand lifted into midair as if to stroke his cheek, but then fell back by her side. She wished she could reach out and touch him, communicate her feelings by wrapping him into her arms and holding him close, without the messy finality of words.

"I need more time to think about it." She told him. His eyebrows raised, but a smile played at his lips. They had both delicately skirted around the topic, but there were no denials. Rey felt overjoyed and fidgety. "I'll let you know when I have an answer for you."

He chuckled openly now. "I suppose I'll have to accept that. It's only fair. I'll be waiting anxiously." He met her eyes shyly and her heart fluttered. She felt like she could levitate on sheer excitement. Then, suddenly, she was left alone in the dark. The giddiness remained for hours.


	5. You are (not) alone

Ben's distraction was absolute. The connections became more frequent. Rey was taking over his life. The connections started happening during his daily tasks. One moment he would be leading a drill, or meeting with General Hux, and the next moment he would lock eyes with Rey. She was also usually occupied, and they both struggled to maintain composure in the moment. They developed a tacit agreement to not try to acknowledge each other when one or both of them were busy, and their quiet intimacy deepened as they spent more and more time together.

On the occasions that she was working and he wasn't, he watched her. He studied all her little quirks and habits. Her resting facial expression, the shape of her mouth when she talked. He was enchanted by her. The shape of her body, her easy stride, the way her nose twitched as she talked-he loved all of it.

More than once he wondered who she was talking to. She never spoke to him of what she was doing, where she was, or who she was with, but he could guess. The resistance probably found Luke Skywalker on some secluded planet and sent her to train with him.

The pain of the betrayal still felt fresh in Ben's heart after all these years, and knowing that Rey was probably training with Luke worried him. He couldn't stomach the thought of her experiencing the same heartbreak that he had. Luke was a brutal master, even when his attention was divided over a dozen students. She would have to bear his demanding nature on her own. More importantly, he feared for her safety. Luke was a dangerous man. If he found out about their force connections, he could turn on Rey in a heartbeat. Cold fear gripped him when he thought of losing her. Luke had already taken so much from him.

He worked hard to break down her idyllic perception of Luke. She hadn't believed him the first time he told her about the betrayal, but he could bring her around to it. He told her other stories of his training, all the awful things that had led up to that night, and fed her doubt. He could only plant the seeds.

He wished he could be with her all the time. He would sweep her up and take her as far away from Luke Skywalker as he could manage. He was more than aware that she was capable of holding her own, but Luke was not above fighting dirty. Over and over he imagined finding out Rey's location, stealing away with a small craft, picking her up, and disappearing with her into the starry universe, never to be found by either of their masters.

Watching her as she trained fanned the flames of his attraction even higher. Her body moved rhythmically through the steps he knew so well. When he had practiced them he had been a tall, lumbering boy not yet used to his large body. She moved through them with a lithe efficiency that held him transfixed. He didn't bother to hide his stares; she stared openly when the tables were turned, and even smirked at him sometimes.

The smirks were beginning to undo him. His libido had skyrocketed lately, and her shameless flirting was the reason why. He felt like a horny teenager again. He got himself off every night thinking of her, and if he tried to avoid it, he couldn't sleep. It was becoming difficult to hide his habits from her. He'd had a few close calls. Last night, they connected a few seconds after he finished, and a few nights before they had connected right in the middle. Luckily he'd had time to cover himself with a blanket before she saw anything.

She had well and truly scrambled his brain. He could barely focus and daydreamed of her constantly. He fantasized about living with her in anonymity on some backwoods planet, and about making her his queen and ruling the galaxy together. Both were attractive prospects. The setting was secondary to being with her, the most important thing. He couldn't get enough of her.

As he prepared for bed, she appeared to him. She was already in her bed, sitting with her back against the stone wall and her knees bent in front of her. She smiled and greeted him warmly. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments as they both searched for a topic of conversation.

He couldn't just ask her about her day. It was none of his business. She was still technically the enemy, and likely wouldn't give a straight answer anyway. He preferred not to highlight the divide between them.

Ever since they had practically confessed their love for each other, both had been giddy and not much in the mood to talk about their depressing childhoods. They filled their conversations with the sort of get-to-know-you questions that all young lovers asked. Favorite foods, favorite colors, secret hobbies-they covered it all.

"Do you like music?" she asked.

"Oh yes."

"What kind?"

"Lots of different kinds. Lately I've been listening to noise rock, but I think my favorite genre is shoegaze." She laughed at the word, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Shoegaze? Like looking at feet? What does that mean? I feel like you're speaking a different language entirely." He smiled back at her good-naturedly. They had encountered many pop-culture terms that were new to her over the course of these conversations. Growing up in the middle of nowhere having to fight for survival left her with many gaps in her cultural knowledge, and he was more than happy to fill her in. He loved introducing her to new things.

"It's really chill, I bet you'd like it. I'd play you a song, but I don't think you'd be able to hear it." They could only hear each other's voices through their link, not outside sounds.

"Sing one for me!" she demanded. Her smile radiated from her entire face in the dim light of her stone hut. "I'd love to hear it."

"No! I mean, I can't sing," he told her, turning his face away. "It's not the kind of music that you sing anyway. All of the instruments have to come together to give the effect."

Rey slouched back slightly against the wall. "Oh, that's alright then."

He felt awkward for disappointing her. He quickly redirected. "What kind of music do you like?" She straightened and her face lit up again.

"I love jazz! I used to find old miracord cartridges with jazz music on them in the rusted out ships. The recyclers wouldn't take them, so I saved up for a while and bought an old miracord player off a junk dealer in the city for cheap. I wore those cartridges out listening to them so much. I don't know what any of them were called, though. The artists are probably long gone, but it was the best music I'd ever heard." She laughed at her little joke. It was the only music she'd ever heard.

Her face twisted into deep thought. "Hang on," she said slowly. "Let me try something." She closed her eyes and he felt a presence in the back of his head. He probed at it with his mind, and then slowly the crooning of a saxophone faded into his consciousness. It was beautiful and mournful, pulling at the deepest emotions. The sound felt slightly distorted and dreamy, and trailed off in a few places. She was replaying the music from memory into his mind. He opened his mouth in surprise. She opened her eyes to his reaction and broke out into a huge smile, thrilled with her ability.

The force connection severed abruptly, leaving him in silence again. He should have been used to it by now, but mostly it still stung to be left alone in the dark.

She had managed to get inside his head, literally. After he processed the initial shock, he thought over the exchange. He could see how she had pulled it off, and kicked himself for not coming up with the idea on his own. She had a creative flair that he couldn't compete with.

He played the haunting jazz melody over in his head as he continued his nightly routine. He shed his clothes and slid under the covers. Sleeping in the nude had become his norm.

He tried, as always, to go to sleep. He knew that he wouldn't be able to, but he tried anyway. Each night the length of time that he held out shortened a little bit. Tonight, he lay tossing and turning for seven minutes before throwing back the covers and giving in to temptation.

He stroked himself lazily at first, letting the feeling build slowly, imagining undressing Rey one small piece of clothing at a time, kissing her body as he went. He imagined spreading her legs and licking her, making her moan his name. The room shimmered, but he was too involved in his fantasy to notice until she was before him.

She lay sprawled on her bed, totally nude, with her head thrown back and a hand between her legs. They made eye contact, both lying speechless. They'd never before had a connection so soon after another had ended, and both had assumed they were safe. His fear response had kicked in, and his heart pounded so loud he could hear it. He didn't dare move an inch.

She sized him up. Her eyes ran over his body like a scanner, taking him in. His erection raged. He held his breath, terrified of what she might do.

She moaned. His breath caught in his throat and he watched as she pressed her hand against her pussy, her fingertips circling slowly around her clit. Her hips pressed up and into her hand, creating more tension.

He pumped his cock furiously, unable to take his eyes off of her writhing figure. He couldn't think, only take it in.

"You are such... a distraction," she said between breaths. He moaned in response, a base, animal sound. She watched him intently, eyes heavily lidded with desire. She rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up with one arm and grinding against the other fist. Her breasts swayed as she moved, and he watched her intently.

"Rey," he said, letting his eyes close for a few seconds. "I'm close." The knot of pressure was building at the base of his cock. He tried to slow his pace, but he was so fired up that his long, slow strokes felt like more than enough to push him over the edge. Every little touch sent lightning through his body.

His admission seemed to excite her even more. "I want to see you come." she told him. He had no choice but to do as he was told. His grip tightened, and he groaned as his long cock seized and hot white come shot out. Rey's eyes were wild, watching him hungrily. Her hips grated against her fist beneath her. She panted and moaned, her body slowing to a steady rock as she let her orgasm wash over her.

She collapsed onto the bed, lying flat with one cheek pressed against the surface, breathing heavily. He could see the sweat just barely beginning to bead at the small of her back. They lay still for a moment, each catching their breath.

He broke the spell and pulled a blanket over his lap, suddenly self conscious. She pulled her thin sheet around her shoulders and wrapped herself in it, settling back onto her stomach and holding up her face with one hand. He was having trouble wrapping his head around what had just happened.

"Caught you." she said, eyes dancing. He could feel the blush rising to his face at her chastisement.

"I caught you too." She disregarded his protest completely, rolling onto her side.

"Were you thinking about me?" Her look was devilish. The edge of her lips curled up into a smile that looked almost predatory. She already knew what his answer would be.

"I'm always thinking about you. I can't stop thinking about you."

His seriousness caught her off guard. Her smirk was replaced by a bewildered look. She was still reeling from the experience but he had to tell her how he felt now, before this moment of vulnerability between them passed. He wrapped the blanket around his waist and leaned forward onto his hands and knees, unconsciously trying to get closer to her.

"I need you, Rey." Her eyes went wide with surprise. Her mouth hung open, lips forming the beginnings of words and then stopping. She closed it tight, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I need you too, Ben. You're all I can think about." Her words came in a flood. "I've been wondering why we have this connection, and lately I've been thinking. Maybe this is why! Maybe we were meant to be together." He nodded as she spoke. He'd had the same thoughts. "I've never felt like this before-" she was cut off by the ending of the link. It didn't feel as lonely this time.

He jumped out of bed and pumped his fist in the air, yelling in triumph. Hot blood coursed through his veins. Alone in the dark room, he celebrated his joy.


	6. Exploration

The next morning, Rey threw herself into her training and tried not to confront her thoughts. Guilt rose from her stomach and sat in her chest like a stone. This was a man that had killed someone close to her. This was a man that had tried to kill her. How could she love him? How could she let herself be drawn in by him and be so vulnerable? Her heart raced when she thought of what they had done, what she had gotten herself into.

She did her best to mask the shame in front of Luke, but couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She felt jittery and diverted all her nervous energy to the physical aspects of her training, grateful that today was not one of the days Luke asked her to meditate. Controlling the wanderings of her mind would not be possible today.

Luke stood at the peak of the island and watched as she ran up and down the rocky path, over and over. This was her task for the day. She had to summit the mountain five times before sundown. The grueling physical exertion occupied her mind completely, but when she stopped to take a break at midday, the thoughts came rushing back. She dreaded the next connection with him. She wasn't ready to face him again after what they had done. She was disgusted with herself. When she was alone, without him, it was easier to tell herself not to give in to those desires. Over time it had become easier to make excuses, to think that it was okay to masturbate to thoughts of him. No one would ever know but her. She had considered the possibility of a connection starting while she was in the middle of it, but she hadn't worried herself too much over the idea.

When it happened, she was already too far in to stop. Seeing him in the nude as well, pleasuring himself in the same way, eliminated any chance of rational thought. She wanted him. Knowing that he wanted her too and seeing that want represented so physically was intoxicating. When she saw him, she had no doubt at all that she was on his mind. The look on his face left no room for doubt, and then afterward her feelings were confirmed.

Afterward. She cringed internally at the things she had said. Why did she confess her feelings to him? She had no way out now. She had let things build to this point, and there was no longer any plausible deniability to hide behind. The relief at exposing her secret was intense, but a new stress came with honesty. The ground felt immaterial beneath her feet.

Rey rubbed her aching calves as she forced down her meal of salted and dried fish from the caretakers' stores. Typically she caught her own fish and ate it fresh, but she didn't have time for fishing today. The leathery meat kept sticking in her throat. She scanned the horizon, looking for the irregularities that would signal an imminent force connection. Though the connections could be erratic, they were not completely random, and the next one was overdue. The constant waiting and searching made it impossible to relax. She could only ignore the thoughts when she ran.

Rey stood and dusted off her hands. She stretched every muscle group thoroughly before beginning the long run back to the top of the mountain. She lost herself in the effort.

She ran down the mountain, focusing on the setting of the sun. This was her final descent. She would complete Luke's challenge well before the sun sank below the horizon line, even if she took it slow on the way down. Her ankles were weak with exhaustion and shook if she stood still, so she took her time and chose her line carefully. The fatigue had washed away all of her anxiety, and she could only focus on the task set before her.

The sky in front of her fluttered. It took her a moment to process what that meant, and before she could prepare herself, she was staring into Ben's eyes. She stopped short, sucking in her breath in shock. Her emotions flooded into her mind while she stood dumb. He gazed at her with his wide, sweet eyes and smiled demurely, and all of her reservations melted away. She had woken up this morning a different person than she had been last night, and seeing him now forced her to confront the difference and pick a side.

Of course she told him how she felt. How could she have avoided it? He met her with such blatant, honest emotion that responding with anything else but the same would have been cruel. She paused momentarily, taking him in. He looked at her with such trust and openness that she felt guilty for ever wanting to escape him and get away from the connection they had created. He loved her, and she loved him. To deny it or try to pretend that it was only sexual attraction would be a lie. She would not have been able to open herself up to him so easily without strong emotion. He had somehow managed to overcome her initial hate and suspicion.

She sensed Luke watching her from the mountain's peak and started running again. She smiled back at Ben, then focused her attention on her footwork down the rocky path. By the time she reached the bottom, he was gone.

Over the next few days, neither of them were brave enough to bring up that night. They left it undiscussed, but their conversations became more affectionate. They talked about the force connection, sharing theories on how it worked and why it was happening. They talked about their earliest meetings and laughed about how much things had changed. Rey made him project a shoegaze song into her mind, coaching him through the process. She wished she could reach out and touch the long, jagged scar on his face. It felt like such a long time ago that she had given it to him, but the scar was still shiny and new. It made his face look like an ancient map, a border between countries separating the two sides.

She wanted to talk about that night. When she was alone, reflecting on their conversations, she lamented her inability to bring it up. She knew there was no reason to be afraid of it. The most embarrassing thing that could happen had already happened, and it was completely mutual. She knew from the way he looked at her that he found her beautiful, and she was unable to keep her eyes off of him. Would he want to do it again? She needed to ask him. She was going mad with desire.

Wind blew through the holes in the hut walls, ruffling the sheets hanging off the edge of the bed. Rey wrapped her naked body tighter in the soft linen, pulling it close around her shoulders. She felt restless, her body still full of energy. The day had been spent in meditation, but she needed activity. She had gone for a short swim after being dismissed, but the sun fell fast and she had been forced to return to the hut.

Her toes drummed on the firm mattress, ticking away the minutes while she waited. She hummed old jazz tunes, wishing she still had her old miracord player. There was probably a newer, better device available now for listening to music. She'd have to get one once she was off this island. Maybe she could ask Chewie to go to the nearest colonized planet to get her one.

Ben perched on the edge of his bed, nervously waiting for the beginning of a connection. Every day they had gone on pretending everything was normal, that they hadn't set off a bomb between them. He wanted desperately to talk to her about it, ask her to do it again, but it was terrifying. Though it had been a long time since they considered each other enemies, there were still topics they danced around, lines they didn't cross. The fact that they crossed this line accidentally kept him from dismissing its importance. He was so afraid of scaring her off or offending her. Their intimacy was hard won, and he remembered the hate she had leveled at him not so long ago. Was it still there, lurking in her heart, waiting for him to make one small misstep to come back out? He would let her make the first move.

He took deep breaths, trying to steady his nerves. Once she was in front of him it was so easy, but the waiting frayed him. He pulled his shirt off over his head and sat waiting for a few more minutes, then put it back on and paced the room. When the hard floor became too cold for his bare feet, he got back in bed and removed his shirt again. He arranged himself into what he considered a seductive position, lying on his side with his head propped up on one arm. He stayed like this for a few minutes, continuously fiddling with the blanket, until the creeping feeling of ridiculousness became overwhelming. He rolled onto his stomach, kicking the blanket off entirely and burying his face into his pillows.

The waiting was too much. The connection could come at any moment or not at all. It was infuriating to suffer through each night. What little sleep he managed to get was fitful and shallow. Every little sound or change in his environment brought him fully awake, scanning for Rey. Perhaps he would catch her in the act again, and not have to ask any questions or have the difficult conversation.

The air shimmered before him and his stress dissolved at the sight of Rey's smile. She was lying in bed, but she looked so awake. Her eyes widened at the sight of his shirtless body, but she quickly composed herself. Her feet tapped out a rhythm on the bed. The restless energy was infectious. He fidgeted, suppressing an inclination to stand and pace the room.

"Hello, Ben. Took you long enough." He laughed out loud.

"I got here as fast as I could."

She beamed at him for playing along with her joke. Behind her smile, her thoughts raced. She made up her mind to talk about the incident, but how to go about bringing it up was still far from clear. Could she segue into the topic naturally, or would it be better to dive right into it? She decided to try to push the conversation in that direction.

"I've been having trouble sleeping lately, have you?" she asked, her face a mask of innocence. It was true. Her nights belonged to him now, though he didn't know it. She needed to get off to get any rest at all, and even then, the possibility of a late-night force connection was enough to keep her from wanting to sleep.

"Yes, I've been having the same problem. It's hard to go to sleep if you're half expecting to be woken up within the next few hours."

"I know, it's dreadful, isn't it? But there's more to it for me. Something else that keeps me up. I have to feel just right." She was sitting up now, kneeling on the bed with her legs splayed. She wore a long tunic that fit tight on her body, but her legs were bare. His eyes were drawn to the empty space between her legs, but nothing was visible in the darkness.

"Oh? And how do you do that?" Ben asked, biting his lip. He was beginning to catch on. His leggings, measured to fit him perfectly, suddenly felt uncomfortably tight. He had a sneaking suspicion that she had nothing on under her tunic, and he wanted to find out.

"Oh, you know." She was on all fours now, looking at him hungrily, ready to pounce.

"Is it something that I could help you with, perhaps?" he asked innocently. He was probing, trying to push her in the direction that they both wanted. She nodded, eyes burning into him. His cock strained against the fabric of his leggings. He was sure she could see the bulge now, but he didn't care. He wanted her to look.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice low. His breath was coming heavy now, before either of them had even taken any clothes off, before he had even touched himself.

Rey sat back on her knees and pulled her tunic over her head in one fluid motion, then let it fall to the floor. He was right; she wore nothing underneath. He groaned involuntarily, his cock twitching and throbbing insistently now. He pushed his leggings down below his hips and pulled it out, stroking it gently, not taking his eyes off of her. She came back onto her hands, grinning like a cat.

"I want you to tell me what you want to do to me right now." He pressed his thumb hard against the top side of his cock, dragging his foreskin back and forth across the head, moaning quietly.

"I think you already know."

"I want you to describe it to me." He pulled his leggings off the rest of the way and sat up on his knees, letting her get a good look at his fully erect penis. He hoped she was impressed.

"Lie back." She complied, sitting with her back against the wall, legs spread in front of her. One hand reached down to rub slow circles around her clit. The motion coupled with the enticing pink of her pussy hypnotized him. His thoughts were a jumble of raw feelings and notions of words rather than complete ideas. He forced himself to slow down to steady, soft strokes. If he wasn't careful, he might blow his load too soon. It would be all too easy with Rey's pussy right in front of him like this. He couldn't remember ever being this hard before.

He took a few deep breaths and focused. He was nervous to tell her what he wanted. He wished he knew more about what she liked so he could tailor his answers to it, but he'd have to gauge her reaction as he went.

"If I were with you right now, I would kiss your pretty lips." He felt ridiculous as soon as he said it. It might have been the right thing to say if they weren't both already naked.

"So tame, Dark Lord." She cut in, smirking at him. He flushed, feeling self conscious. How far should he go? Rey wanted this, but did she really want his version? So far she wasn't having any trouble pushing his narrative in the direction she wanted it to go. He would just have to trust that she'd keep it up.

"Tell me what you really want."

"I want to taste your pussy, lick that little clit until you come." Rey inhaled sharply, closing her eyes and rolling her head back onto her shoulders. "It looks so good, you're driving me crazy." He paused to regulate his breathing once again.

"And then what?" she opened her eyes, scrutinizing him. She was making it clear that he was in no circumstances allowed to stop.

"When you can't take it anymore, I'm going to pick you up and sit you on my cock so that I can suck on your little nipples while you ride me." He let the story get away from him and just said what came to his mind, letting pleasure overtake him. Rey quickened her pace and watched him breathlessly. He settled lower into a squatting position, using the strain on his thigh muscles to enhance the sensation. "I'm going to hold you by your hips and fuck you so deep that it hurts. I'll lay you down on the edge of the bed and hold you down by your throat while I force myself deeper in." The violent turn startled him a little. He hadn't planned to say anything like that. Her eyes widened in surprise, but instead of demanding that he stop immediately, she began moaning his name.

"I'm going to rub your clit while I fuck you, just like you're doing right now, and make you come on my cock." He grunted as he finished the sentence. He didn't have much time left now. He was caught up in his narrative, and Rey's perfect body, and watching her get herself off.

"Please, tell me the ending," she whispered. Her lips were parted, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. He could see her pink, swollen clit and wondered what it would feel like under the pad of his thumb.

"When you're spent, I'm going to flip you over and fuck you from behind." She whined like a bitch. "I'll fuck you as hard as I can, holding it until the last possible second before I burst inside of you, filling you with my come." Ben moaned, jerking his cock desperately, hoping he had done enough, knowing he could do no more. He closed his eyes and listened to Rey's moaning, letting it carry him over the edge. It felt like every muscle in his lower body contracted as his cock twitched and spasmed in his hand, pumping out load after load of hot, sticky come.

Rey watched as he moaned and bucked his hips. The sight of Ben out of control, spilling his seed because of her, was too much. She pressed her whole fist against her pussy, crying out in ecstasy as her body rocked with her orgasm. She loved to watch him.

Both lay still, chests heaving. Rey noticed the sheen of sweat on Ben's body. She relished the cool sea breeze blowing through the hut walls. Shame crept in belatedly. She hoped that none of the other residents of Ahch-To overheard. She hadn't exactly been careful about her volume.

Slowly, both began to move again. Though they weren't able to look away from each other, they both made a show of averting their eyes while they cleaned themselves up and retrieved their clothes. The silence was companionable, but both seemed anxious for the other to speak. Ben cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"I'm glad we... got that out of the way," he said, fumbling for the proper words. "I... I've been trying to find a way to bring it up since that night. Just to talk about it." he quickly clarified.

"Tell me the truth." said Rey, cutting off his speech. "Was that night the first time you got off thinking of me?" Ben was startled by the straightforwardness of her question. He shook his head, not trusting himself not to babble if he spoke.

"It wasn't mine either." There, she thought. "I was serious when I said I couldn't sleep without it." Now everything was on the table. Ben smirked, enjoying her confession.

"Perhaps we could help each other more often?" he asked solicitously. "I would hate to know that you're not sleeping well when there's something I could do to prevent it."

"I'd like that."


	7. The Fabric of the Force

**Final Chapter: Author's note**  
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for reading and supporting this fic! It's been a pleasure. Please let me know what you think, I'd love to hear any kind of feedback you're willing to give. I've had so much fun writing this and can't wait to start my next project! Stay tuned for future works, as I've got several ideas up my sleeve within the Star Wars fandom and others.

Thank you,

Lauren

Rey sat at the edge of her bed, waiting for the connection to come. Her body ached for Ben. She spent all her nights waiting up for him now. Even though she knew from experience that the connection would wake her, she wanted to be ready. She couldn't bear to waste a moment with him. Tonight she was even more anxious than usual; she wanted to try something new.

The room distorted and Ben appeared to her, smiling and awake. He had been waiting up for her too. Instead of speaking, she closed her eyes, shutting out the room around her. The vision of Ben still held in her mind, and he looked confused. She probed with her mind, seeking the fabric of the force that bound them together. Ben's eyes widened. He could sense her examination and realized her intentions.

"Help me." she said, eyes still closed, completely focused. He hesitated for only a moment, wondering if there was some trap, but dismissed the thought out of hand. The emotions that they shared were genuine. He reached out, anchoring to the source of power within himself.

Rey felt the edge of the connection and seized it, channeling the force through her body in a way that she had never felt before. She could feel Ben's hold on the other end.

"Pull."

They both tugged on the fragile fabric of the connection, pulling it around to enclose them both. They poured their own energy into it to spread it in the places that it was thin, and then, all at once, it shifted into place around them with a jolt.

Rey opened her eyes. The room around her was familiar, but somehow alien. She looked at the bed, feeling woozy and wobbly. It was her bed on Ahch-To, but it was also his bed on his ship at the same time. Their surroundings rocked and ebbed around them with a dreamy quality, reality shifting from one state to another. Ben sat on his knees, right in front of her on the bed.

She reached out with her hand and touched his cheek. He gasped at the contact. Her fingers traced over the long scar, lingering as if she could heal it with her touch. They were solid to each other.

The last time they had touched, they had been fighting bitterly for survival in a frozen forest. This time they were gentle, each cautious of the other. The possibility of betrayal still lurked, but mostly they both wanted to avoid spooking the other; if either of them dropped their hold on the force-connection they would be apart again in an instant.

The bonds that they had forged over the time spent together felt fragile in this new setting. It was easier to trust someone when you knew they couldn't get to you, that they were light years away with no way to find you. Now, sitting face to face and able to make physical contact, the consequences of hasty trust felt all too real to both of them. For a nerve-wracking few minutes, they did nothing but stare at each other, holding hands lightly, unsure of what to do.

Ben broke the spell, unable and unwilling to stop himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close in a tight hug. They held each other, reveling in the touch of their bodies. She ran a hand through his long, thick hair starting from the nape of his neck. He sighed, his face still buried in her shoulder, and pulled her closer. He turned his face up to look into her eyes.

"You don't know how much I've wanted this." he said. She felt small against his massive chest. "I never stop thinking about you." His heart was so full.

Rey blinked back tears. Their hesitation completely dissolved, the bond of trust tempered against fear. She ached with wanting him, but could not bring herself to release him from her grasp. He slowly sat up so that she was looking up at him.

"I've been waiting for this moment." he said, eyes locked on hers. He cupped her cheek in his hand, tilting her face up to his. She was startled at the feel of his palm. His hands were smooth, but the skin was thick and strong. Their mouths were inches apart. He let his hand trail down her neck and then rest at her collarbone, sending shivers down her spine. The feeling of vulnerability produced by his strong hands touching her exposed throat set her heart pounding.

His other hand was under her back, propping her up as he pulled her so close that she was nearly in his lap. Her body was relaxed in his arms, but still alive with heat and energy. Rey had to remind herself to breathe.

"I love you." he said simply, and before she had a chance to respond, his lips were on hers. They fell back onto the bed that was hers but also his. She could feel the scratchy linens of her own bed, but also the smooth, luxuriant fabric of his sheets. The two sensations were competing to be present within the reality that they had created together.

They kissed deeply and hungrily, pulling each other close. Ben held her tight to his body, then pulled back and lifted his black shirt up over his head, exposing the milky white skin underneath. Rey, too long starved for his touch, reached up and ran her fingers from the center of his chest down to just below his belly button, then stopped. His eyes widened, and he held her hand in his.

Rey reached for the hem of her tunic. Ben's hands met hers and pulled the thin fabric up slowly. He savored the tension, running his eyes over her muscular body. A smile played at the edges of his lips as she held her arms up in the air for him. He slid the garment off of her body and tossed it aside. The corners of the room wavered, the effort of holding this patchwork reality together testing them both as their concentration drifted.

Ben pulled her back up onto his lap, kissing her hard on the lips. He had one arm wrapped around her back and one squeezing her breast, impatient to know every curve of her body. She could feel his hardness pressing against the backs of her thighs, and her body ached with want. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer to her. His hand trailed down her chest, over her belly, and to her waist.

"Is this okay?" he asked, hand poised just above her pussy. She nodded breathlessly, and her clit pulsed with desire. The tremors traveled through her body and reverberated in her kneecaps. She wanted everything, every last bit of him. Everything that he wanted to do to her was what she wanted.

His fingers brushed lightly over her mons at first, feeling the soft skin and hard bone underneath. He slid his hand down deeper between her legs, rubbing over her clit deliciously. She moaned, pressing her body into his hand. She wanted more. She reached down and unbuttoned her leggings, then pushed them off of her hips and onto the ground. She caught his hand and brought it back to her pussy, holding it there for a moment. He felt the coarse hair against his skin, and his erection surged. It was his turn to moan.

Here she was, nude in his lap, her pussy cupped in his hand. He could scarcely believe it. His sensory systems were overloaded. His cock was so hard he felt like it might rip through his pants at any moment. Nights spent alone pining after Rey in his sterile cabin felt like a distant memory.

He pressed his fingertips against her pussy and dragged them over it, starting low and stopping just below the beginning of the cleft. She writhed, pushing her hips up harder against his hand, and he continued the motion, drinking in her pleasure.

"I like that," she told him, her accent stretching her i's out long. "Don't stop." At this moment, he felt like he would do anything she told him to for the rest of his life. He tried to picture in his mind the exact way and pacing that she had used when touching herself, and attempted to replicate it. He could feel her body responding to his touch. Keeping his strokes steady, he leaned down and kissed her again.

Her hard nipples rubbed against his bare chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He willed himself to move slowly, not to rush, even though his body was drawn to hers. He could feel the heat and wetness building between her legs, and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her. His erection pressed painfully against the fabric of his leggings. He had to free himself from them, he couldn't wait any longer. He drew back and slid them off, watching her face as she took in his body. Her eyes were wide, trained on his cock.

She had seen it before, from a distance. She had known, even before then, that it would probably be big. He was a tall, well built man, and she figured it would be in proportion with the rest of him. Now, staring it down in person, she felt intimidated.

He leaned back over her on the bed and she pulled away from him almost imperceptibly. He froze, concern showing on his face. His heart crawled up his throat. He wanted to scream, or shatter something, horrified that he may have done something to ruin the moment or scare her away. Was she repulsed by his body? He fought back anger and shame, trying his best to be patient with her. He sat silent, waiting for her to speak. Rey sat up on the bed, legs pressed together. She stared at her knees, then looked up into his eyes.

"I've never done this before." she told him, worry written across her face. The tension in his body morphed into a different kind of anxiety, mirroring hers. He sat on the bed next to her, eyes on his hands, and took a deep breath.

"I haven't either." It was embarrassing for him to admit, considering that he was likely several years older than her and had been around other humans for most of his life, but she looked relieved. She relaxed and leaned against him, turning her face toward his for another kiss. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of her soft skin against his, her breast pressing against his arm.

"We'll take it slow." he said reassuringly. She rested a hand on his thigh, drawing little circles on his skin. The stress and anger that he carried with him at all times was eroding with every pass of her fingers.

Rey felt the taut cords of muscle in his upper thigh. His whole body was tensed, ready to strike. She leaned closer and ran her hands over the dark, wiry hair just above the base of his cock. He drew in a sharp breath, eager for her touch. She met his eyes, unsure of what to do next. He grabbed her hand and held it for a moment, smiling at her, then moved it to his shaft. She sat up and straddled one of his legs to get a better angle.

"Show me how you do it."

He adjusted each of her fingers, then wrapped his hand around hers and guided her through a few slow, steady strokes. Her hand was dwarfed by his, but so strong and precise in its movements. He moaned as she jerked him off, secretly relishing the feeling of her pussy against his leg. He could feel himself getting wetter with every stroke. He let go and let her give him a few more good pumps before stopping her. She pulled her hand back, a sticky strand of precum trailing off of her fingers. She licked the juices from her fingers while he stared, captivated.

She straddled his waist and he sat up, bringing his face to hers, holding onto her hips and kissing her deeply, tasting himself on her lips. His cock rested against her lower stomach, driving them both mad with anticipation.

"I want to be inside you." he said. He was reaching a breaking point. "Are you ready?"

Rey nodded, pushing herself up onto her knees. She guided him between her legs, then whispered, "Be gentle," into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Her hands rested on his shoulders. He held onto her hips and then, as slowly as he could possibly stand, thrust his cock inside her.

Both gasped at the sharp, momentary pain, and took a moment to assess the situation.

"Keep going, please," she said. His eyes searched her face for signs of pain. He was terrified of hurting her and driving her away. He could see nothing but excitement in her eyes. "No, really, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"It was just a little tighter than I was expecting, but I think it's okay now." He pushed deeper into her experimentally, then moaned without meaning to. The sensation on his cock was staggering. Rey grinned at him. "How does it feel for you?" he asked, trying not to move any more than was necessary until they were done talking.

"It hurts a little, but I like it." He looked at her dubiously. "No, really! Keep going." she told him, and began fucking him to demonstrate. She slid up and down along his cock, immobilizing him in surprise. He panted and scrambled to get a hold of her hips to slow her down. The pace was not sustainable. If he came too soon, the embarrassment might kill him.

He held her still while slowly pushing deeper into her until he was all the way inside, her ass resting on his legs. Rey breathed heavily, acclimating to the feeling of being completely filled. His cock felt even bigger than it had looked. She felt a continuous sharp, pinching pain, but it was easy to ignore for the pleasure that was radiating through her body.

Ben began a slow rhythm, in and out. Rey matched him, trying to keep her breathing steady. He embraced her, burying his face in her breasts, then wrapped his lips around her nipple, probing it with his tongue. She moaned, twining her fingers through his long black hair and pulling, hard. The pain turned him on, driving him to move faster and harder. He bit down on her nipple and she gasped. He looked up, meeting her eyes. She gave him a slight nod and he bit down again, much harder this time. He felt her clench around him as she reacted to the pain.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on for too much longer. She still held him by the hair, but her face was tilted to the ceiling, her mouth slightly open. He moved a hand down between their bodies and pressed his thumb against her clit. He moved it slowly at first, then quicker in time with his thrusts. She moaned loudly now, grinding into his hand while he fucked her.

Rey's breathing was ragged. She tightened her grip on Ben's hair, trying to anchor herself to him. She could feel his big doe eyes trained on her face, but she was so wrapped up in the feeling of his cock inside her and his hand on her clit that she couldn't think straight, let alone respond to his gaze. She could feel the pressure building in her lower belly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she climaxed, soaking in the feeling of his skin against hers. He held her steady, reeling from the sensation of her body tightening and twitching around him. The feeling was enough to push him over the edge. His cock tensed on the next thrust and then he was breaking, emptying himself into her. He held her close, his face buried in the hollow at the base of her neck.

Ben was assailed by an overwhelming surge of emotion. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry. Being with her made him feel washed clean of his past, his heritage, even his birthright. He wanted to rid himself of every last thing that wasn't related to her, everything that came before. She was the only thing that mattered at all.

She held on just as tight to him, her own feelings raging. Finally, someone. Finally, no longer alone.

They held each other in the darkness until the force connection ended and pulled them apart. They knew now that they had to find a way to be together.


End file.
